Bonnie Craig murder solved by DNA - May, 2007

[fabgourmet]

I don't think this has been posted here. If so, my apologies.

A DNA match linked semen found on the body of Bonnie Craig to an inmate named Kenneth Dion who was already solving time for robbery in New Hampshire. The link between Bonnie and Dion is unclear but police believe they did not know each other and that the murder was an act of random violence:

http://www.sitnews.us/0507news/05020...na_arrest.html

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime...-8747866c.html

This article includes a picture of Dion and a 1995 photo of Bonnie's mother at the site of her murder.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime...-8744876c.html

Dion sounds like a real winner. According to one of these articles, Dion was on probation on an Anchorage robbery conviction and had been out of prison for only a few months when Bonnie Craig was killed. He was in jail in Alaska at the end of July 1994, two months before Bonnie's death. And he returned to jail a few months after on a parole violation.

Finally, Bonnie's mother, interviewed at length in the UM segment, is quoted here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18423467/

Another meaningful quote: "It doesn't appear Mr. Dion and Bonnie Craig were associated in any respect, so I mean we're looking at perhaps a random abduction, which are difficult cases. That is probably why it remained unsolved up until this point," Stogsdill said.

This case has troubled me since I first saw it for a couple of reasons:

1. Her mother seems particularly devastated by Bonnie's death (the only other parent I can recall who may be as devastated is the mother of Phillip Frasier).

2. This kind of case really gets to me - where any number of solutions is possible, it could be related to her mom's police work, could be that sleazy classmate of hers, or it could have been just a random murder (which this one, in the end, was).

It is past 3 AM and I just got in; tomorrow, I might email the author of one of the articles (the local Alaska paper- the 2nd link) asking for more information, if I get a reply, I'll post it on here.

[crystaldawn]

Very interesting - thanks for posting that fabgourmet! Its good that her mother now has some of the answers. Personally I'm a little suprised it was a random act of violence. I always figured it had something to do with that college student UM spoke about who kept a journal or someone with a vendetta against Bonnie's mother.

[kadrmas15]

Well, I am glad the guy that did this has been found, but I have to agree with Crystaldawn, I am surprised at the random act of violence theory apperantly proving true. I am still reluctant to believe it, I think it is still very possible that this guy was put up to this by the drug lords. It is very odd a sexual predator would be out and about at the time of morning Bonnie was out at unless he knew ahead of time that she would be there. This Kenneth Dion was unemployed at the time, if the drug lords would have waived a few hundred or a few thousand dollars under his nose to rape and murder Bonnie to send a message he would have done it I am sure.

[mozartpc27]

Well, I just saw that segment for the very first time, and of course icame on here immediately afterwards to see if it had been solved. Had it not been, I was going to express doubts about the various theories presented --- whenever someone, especially a grieving someone, is sure that it's BOTH a disturbed acquaintance of the victim and a conspiracy meant to target that someone's family, it's an easy call that the person is just grasping in the dark at solutions. I was not at all surprised to find it was just some random stranger who probably happened upon her waiting for a bus on a cold, dark Alaska morning.

What kind of University schedules 7AM classes anyhow? I've never heard of such a thing.

[TracyLynnS]

I didn't know this one was solved, so I wasn't paying real close attention to the story. Now, I wish I'd listened more carefully.

Is this Dion character certain to be a random killer? He was 24 or 25 at the time of the killing, which would have put him in the age range of friends of the crazy journal keeping classmate that the victim had.

And, as always, I wish UM would have gone into more detail. For example, what significance could the 28th have had to that kid, and him being "put to the test" on that date. Maybe it's some mundane thing such as his hated stepfather is moving back in, or one of his other instructors is expecting a difficult paper to be submitted by that date. Maybe it really was the date that he had to help Kenneth Dion murder someone, but maybe it had nothing at all to do with Bonnie.

All that superficial glossing over the details just adds to the "mystery" and is one of the things that keeps the crimes "unsolved", imo.

[yuppielawyer]

Seems like just a random killing to me. Ideas that some sexual predator was put up to it by drug lords seem pretty far-fetched to me. Sadly, anyone can become a victim of a predator--even people who have other bad people with motives to kill them.

[Mastermind]

Seems like just a random killing to me. Ideas that some sexual predator was put up to it by drug lords seem pretty far-fetched to me. Sadly, anyone can become a victim of a predator--even people who have other bad people with motives to kill them.

Sexual predators use drugs, too. People who can't pay for drugs, sometimes pay via other methods. (i.e prostitution, mules, murder for hire, lookouts, etc., business for cover)

[crochetbuff]

Originally Posted by yuppielawyer

Seems like just a random killing to me. Ideas that some sexual predator was put up to it by drug lords seem pretty far-fetched to me. Sadly, anyone can become a victim of a predator--even people who have other bad people with motives to kill them.

That is the problem I have with a lot of these U.M. cases. They may be unsolved mysteries, but some of the theories that are laid out are too far-fetched for me. So many feature that someone was working for the DEA or the CIA or the secret something or other and so their murder, apparent suicide or disappearance are explained by some such connection. In the real world, few people are really linked to anything like that and so many things are very random.

[yuppielawyer]

Sexual predators use drugs, too. People who can't pay for drugs, sometimes pay via other methods. (i.e prostitution, mules, murder for hire, lookouts, etc., business for cover)

I'm sorry, but it simply makes no sense that a group of drug lords would hire a serial rapist/killer to carry out a murder for hire of a cop's daughter. She was the victim of a random attack by a disgusting predator.

[Mastermind]

Quote:
Sexual predators use drugs, too. People who can't pay for drugs, sometimes pay via other methods. (i.e prostitution, mules, murder for hire, lookouts, etc., business for cover)

I'm sorry, but it simply makes no sense that a group of drug lords would hire a serial rapist/killer to carry out a murder for hire of a cop's daughter. She was the victim of a random attack by a disgusting predator.

Makes perfect sense, to me. If you use someone in your organization it can be tied back to you. If you use some lowlife with no connection to you, it gets treated like a random killing.

There have been several cases of drug lords hiring junkies to beat someone up to send a message.

That is the problem I have with a lot of these U.M. cases. They may be unsolved mysteries, but some of the theories that are laid out are too far-fetched for me. So many feature that someone was working for the DEA or the CIA or the secret something or other and so their murder, apparent suicide or disappearance are explained by some such connection. In the real world, few people are really linked to anything like that and so many things are very random.

I think that's way too broad a statement. I think less than 40% of the murder cases involve conspiracies of a government nature.

Actually the majority of the non-paronormal cases on UM are WANTED cases, where the suspect is known.

I actually think the ones that involve conspiracies of what you speak of are very justified (Danny Casolaro, Charles Morgan, Air Sabotage case, NLO, RFK, Martin Luther King, )

If you looked at all the reasons why cases are unsolved on
UM:

1. Lack of evidence to convict suspect/suspect is WANTED
2. Missing person case (no body, nor )
3. Criminal enterprise murder (drug dealers,local criminals, police corruption, not necessarily government in nature)
4. Random serial killer, rapist, pyscopath
5. Unintentionally shoddy police work/coverup

The random psychopath theory can be used for any murder, it is almost a default theory. However statistics state that for the majority of murders, the victim knows his/her killer.

Keep in mind that UM chose a lot of it's cases based on their bizarre nature, not neccessarily the conspiracy aspect.

[yuppielawyer]

It just seems like there is an effort to take something simple, and make it much more complicated. This guy was a criminal and a pervert. He raped and killed Bonnie. There is nothing to suggest there was any larger conspiracy involved.

[crochetbuff]

Originally Posted by Mastermind

Makes perfect sense, to me. If you use someone in your organization it can be tied back to you. If you use some lowlife with no connection to you, it gets treated like a random killing.

There have been several cases of drug lords hiring junkies to beat someone up to send a message.

I think that's way too broad a statement. I think less than 40% of the murder cases involve conspiracies of a government nature.

Actually the majority of the non-paronormal cases on UM are WANTED cases, where the suspect is known.

I actually think the ones that involve conspiracies of what you speak of are very justified (Danny Casolaro, Charles Morgan, Air Sabotage case, NLO, RFK, Martin Luther King, )

If you looked at all the reasons why cases are unsolved on
UM:

1. Lack of evidence to convict suspect/suspect is WANTED
2. Missing person case (no body, nor )
3. Criminal enterprise murder (drug dealers,local criminals, police corruption, not necessarily government in nature)
4. Random serial killer, rapist, pyscopath
5. Unintentionally shoddy police work/coverup

The random psychopath theory can be used for any murder, it is almost a default theory. However statistics state that for the majority of murders, the victim knows his/her killer.

Keep in mind that UM chose a lot of it's cases based on their bizarre nature, not neccessarily the conspiracy aspect.

True, I was thinking also of a couple of others, namely Tommy Burkett's suicide - that his parent's theorize he was an informant for drug enforcement and may have been killed by someone because of that. There are a couple of other cases too (sorry, can't think of them) where things are extrapolated out to something like this. Not exactly conspiracy theories, but cases where things are claimed that have the person involved in something that is not always all that likely.

[Mastermind]

The point I am ultimatley making here is that while not every crime is an Oliver Stone conspiracy, a vast majority of the murders done in this country are done via criminal conspiracies (mostly drug conspiracies)

Considering what Bonnie Craig's mother's did, the possibility of her daughter's death being part of a criminal conspiracy has to be brought up.

The random psycho theory is always there to be investigated at anytime, but a criminal conspiracy has to be attacked right away or nobody gets caught.

[Wamisto]

I think part of the reason some parents and loved ones latch onto these theories is that it makes it easier for them to believe they have some control over the situation and some idea as to who did it and what happened and why.

A lot of parents whose children have gone missing will tell you that even though their children were found dead, they were at least able to put "closure" on it when they found out they were dead and how they died. And although they cannot rest until the killer is brought to justice, it is a bit easier to deal with when they at least know who did it, and that the police are actively pursuing it. And the degree to which they feel they have a part in the apprehension of the individual (which might even include something as simple as a weekly phone call to police asking for an update) is the degree to which they feel they have some control. Researchers into traumatic experiences will say that in situations such as war and various disasters, any degree of control, even the ability to wrap a bandage around someone's leg, helps to lessen the trauma. It is those who have absolutely NO control whose trauma was the most extreme and long-lasting.

"No news", in the case of a murder of one's children, is the worst possible news. When they receive all the fact, their minds no longer wander over all the possibilities - they have the truth and can deal with that. It gets to the point after a while that their minds begin to torture their emotions more than even the loss itself, which they learn over time to come to grips with (though never fully get over).

[egswanso]

Originally Posted by Wamisto

I think part of the reason some parents and loved ones latch onto these theories is that it makes it easier for them to believe they have some control over the situation and some idea as to who did it and what happened and why.

And a corollary, I think the reason people (including people on these boards) have such a fondness for conspiracy theories is the sense of self-righteousness and control it gives, i.e., "i don't do drugs or bad things to people, so I don't have to worry" or "they had it coming for [insert reason]." which helps rationalize an inherently irrational action.

The random psychopath, on the other hand, means that any of us, anywhere, anytime, could just be minding our own business and boom - killed, raped, etc. The whole pointless of it all just doesn't sit well, but short of living your whole life in a panic room, there's no way to do anything about it.